Having grown up playing chess, I recently wondered how to make the game more challenging. I thought about the flat game board, how to change it so that an additional challenge of spatiality could be incorporated. By adding various contiguous height variations, the game pieces would not lie on one flat plane. Rather, they would lie on contiguous squares of varying heights. A variation of the word spatial is the word spacial. I named my creation the SPACIAL GAME BOARD.
The seating arrangement in a sports arena, where each row of seats are in ascending, contiguous levels of height is an example of the spatial game board "stair step" height variation.
I also wanted to create a way that two couples, or four people could play chess at the same time. This would entail the use of two sets of chess pieces, or four kingdoms. The FOUR KINGDOM SPACIAL GAME BOARD would need to be larger than the consolidation of two standard (64 square) game boards. This will provide some space between adjacent kingdoms at the beginning of the game; at setup(standard layout of pawns and other pieces that form a total of two rows of pieces). Having more than four players playing at one time could be incorporated by adding more squares, 72 for each additional pairs of players. I can envision a large table with a game board of 352 squares (on various contiguous levels) and ten players enjoying a "long-play-time" game. I can also envision ten players playing the same game board but, each player is in their own home and are "modemed" to my Spacial Chess and Spacial Checkers Webpage and playing in cyberspace.
Being a wood worker, I felt that the spacial game board prototypes should be made of wood. By setting various lengths of "2 by 4, 2 by 6, & 2 by 8" wood boards on their small side and, attaching them about a "2 by 4" cut to 3.5" length (laid flat on the large side), I created an ascending "stair step", or step of 1.5". The result is a box like structure with stair steps descending toward the middle from each side. I marked each board with a line every 1.5" down the length of the sides to form squares. This game board has a total of sixty-four squares, each (1.5".times.1.5"). The exterior of the game board is (12".times.12"). This was my first, although rough prototype. I used some scrap lumber, a circular hand saw for the cuts and, nailed the pieces together. No real wood finish work was done. The first prototype game board was so challenging that diagonal lines had to be drawn to aid in the discernment of the correct diagonal squares for a piece to move along.
The following spacial game board versions were made with clear Douglas Fir wood and with good woodworking shop tools to produce "furniture quality" pieces. All squares are formed by hand sawing (0.25") deep cuts on the small side (1.5") of each "2 by board in 1.5" intervals.
The second prototype was the Four Kingdom Spacial Game Board. This game board was made with eight wood boards of various heights when laid on their small side. All boards (25.5" in length) were ripcut from "2 by 4" wood, except the 4" height, which was cut from a "2 by 6". Four height variations (1.25", 2.25", 3.25", & 4") for eight boards were created (two of each height). I cut (0.25") deep lines into each top side of the boards with a hand saw. Seventeen "squares" were formed on each board as a result of the lines. This game board has a total of 136 squares (1.5".times.1.5") formed by eight rows (of various height) of seventeen columns. If one were to make a letter association for each height (A.about.1.25", B.about.2.25", C.about.3.25", & D.about.4") and one were to look along the short side of the spacial game board table, one would see (as one example) the following height variation: DCBAABCD. Each of the eight boards can be placed in any row location so one can change the location of the various heights. For example; DBACCABD. I had named some of the variations in the disclosure document for this type of game board as Four Kingdom 4 Level Spacial Game Board with Valley elevation layout and with Multiple Hill elevation layout. I now call this game board the FOUR KINGDOM OPEN PLAIN SPACIAL GAME BOARD.
The SPACIAL GAME BOARD TABLE is a four legged table whose top is a box-like structure that holds the boards that form the spacial game board and provides shelf space for captured pieces. The table is 17.5" tall with a top that is 22" deep and 28.5" wide. There are two shelves that lie within the top box-like structure that are 25.5" long and 3.5" wide. The wood boards that form the Spacial Game Board sit between the two shelves and are held up by additional wood pieces that form the lower structure of the game board table. All versions of the Four Kingdom Spacial Game Board can be placed in the Spacial Game Board Table.
The third prototype was made with made with seventeen boards, each with eight "squares". Twelve inch long boards were ripcut to form height variations of (1.5", 2.5", 3.5", & 4"). The 136 squares (1.5".times.1.5") are formed from eight rows with seventeen columns (various height), The result is four levels where there are two highest levels, five second highest, six third highest, and four the fourth highest. The boards can be placed anywhere on the game table so as to change the location of a certain level. The standard layout is to have three hills formed by the various levels so that two high hills are on either side of a smaller hill. If one were to assign a letter to each height variation (1.5".about.a, 2.5".about.b, 3.5".about.c, 4".about.d) and to view the height variation along the long side of the spacial game board table; you would see: abcdcbabcbabcdcba. This game board lies on the spacial game board table. I called this version in the disclosure statement the Four Kingdom 4 Level 3 Mountain Transverse elevation layout. I now call this version the FOUR KINGDOM THREE HILL SPACIAL GAME BOARD.
The fourth prototype game board incorporated "2 by 4" wood boards. The center piece (2 by 4) cut to 3.5" in length is similar to the first prototype. The steps ascending from the center (arena configuration) were made with only one size of wood, the "2 by 4". The first step is 2" tall. Each following step is 1.5" tall. This prototype also created, when turned upside down (mountain configuration), a top center with descending steps.
Squares were formed by sawing lines every 1.5" along the step's top side. No diagonal lines were drawn. A total of sixty-four squares (1.5".times.1.5") were formed. This piece is 12" wide by 12" deep with a height of 8". A sleeve made of "2 by 4" wood holds the game board in place. The sleeve is (9".times.9".times.3.5"). In the Arena configuration the center slides through the sleeve and the "stair step" rests on it's top. The total height of the game board as mounted on the sleeve in the arena configuration is 8.5". In the mountain configuration, the game board rests on the sleeve. The resultant total height (mountain configuration) is 10". I call this version the TWO KINGDOM ARENA/MOUNTAIN SPACIAL GAME BOARD.
The fifth prototype took the idea of the Two Kingdom Arena/Mountain Spacial Game Board and made a Four Kingdom version. Rather than a center with three steps, this game board has five steps, each 1.5" tall. The resultant game board has 144 squares (1.5".times.1.5"). This piece is 18" wide by 18" deep and is 9.5" tall. The sleeve that holds this game board is made of (2 by 6) board. The sleeve is (12".times.12".times.5.5"). The game board, in the arena configuration mounted on the sleeve is 12" tall. The game board can be turned upside down to form the mountain configuration. In this configuration, mounted on the sleeve, the total height is 12". This game board in the arena configuration, or the mountain configuration can also be placed in the Spacial Game Board Table